“No, don’t,” she says quickly. “I want to look into things myself first before we involve him. I should be able to access some public records and match them up with the figures Maury gave you.”
“How long do you think that will take? This is your vacation and you’re my guest. I don’t want you working while you’re here. And I can’t...money’s tight right now. I can’t afford to pay you.”
She stands and walks around the desk to where Axel’s standing, still holding two coffee cups. He sets them down on the desk as she comes closer. For a moment, she just peers up at him, her eyes on his. He feels warmth in his chest looking at her.
“It’s ok,” she places her arm on his forearm, rubbing slightly back and forth. “We’ll figure it out, together.”
Her smile is so bright he can’t help but lean down and press a soft kiss to her lips. She moans into his mouth, and he walks her back the short distance to the desk, letting it hit her bottom before he picks her up and sets her on it. She immediately spreads her legs for him to fit in between them, and he feels his cock thicken in his pants.
His perfect mate, opening up so sweetly for him, trying to help him with the business. Her hands are on his shoulders, in his hair, sliding back down to grip his biceps. He feels fire blaze on his skin everywhere she touches, even through his t-shirt and flannel. He can’t get enough. Her one hand slides down his chest,and he shivers at the contact. He’s fully hard now and straining in his jeans. Chloe reaches the top of his jeans and pops the button.
Immediately, he pulls away from the kiss, still keeping his body close.
“Chloe, as much as I love this, we should go slow.”
Her bottom lip juts out in a pout, and he can’t help but smile at how adorable she looks.
“But I’m only here another week or so. Are you worried someone might walk in?”
He’s not worried, he knows his brothers would hear them and stay far away. But he wants things to be special with her. And he knows she’s leaving soon, whether or not she chooses to come back to him is another thing. But he doesn’t want to rush this.
“I want to go slow with you. I don’t date, and you’re...special. This is…” He doesn’t want to tell her he’s a virgin, that he’s never had a relationship. He doesn't want to scare her off. “This is important to me,” he tells her.
It seems to be the right thing to say because she immediately brightens, and her pout is gone. He loves that he can make her smile like this. He kisses her chastely on the lips.
“Thank you for understanding.”
Chloe goes back to work, muttering to herself and taking notes in a notebook she borrowed from him. He lets her be. Going back to the front of the lodge and manning the desk. He wants to stay by her, sit next to her, and wrap his arm around theback of her chair. Breathe in her sweet honeysuckle scent and justbewith her. But he gives her space. He knows what it’s like to work with someone hovering, and he trusts her implicitly, so he doesn’t care if she’s in the office without him.
He’s organizing the various brochures when Jack strides over.
“How’s the lucky lady?”
Axel frowns at him and goes back to what he was doing.
“Seriously? How is she? She’s helping you out with the books, right? Anything turn up?”
Axel’s not sure what he should say. Chloe hasn’t found anything definite, and the payments to Maury are legitimate, he has no doubt about it.
“Nothing yet. She’s working, though, looking through everything.”
“Cool, cool. So did you guys hook up yet?”
This time Axel growls and steps towards his brother. How dare he ask about Chloe that way? Like she’s just some girl, some woman Axel is getting with.
“Hey, man,” Jack puts his hands up and steps back from the desk. “I didn’t mean anything by it. I know she’s your mate.”
Axel nods his head at his brother in understanding.
“It’s just you have the opportunity to sleep with her. None of us has had that before,” Jack scratches the back of his neck. “I’m just wondering what it’s like.”
“We haven’t...we’ve only kissed. Nothing else. I told her I want to wait.”
“Isn’t she leaving soon? I mean, are you going to go to New York to be with her?”
Raif stomps over from around the corner carrying pruning shears, clearly having heard what Axel and Jack were talking about, if the look on his face says anything.
Axel huffs out a big breath. He’s not in the mood to deal with Raif and his attitude right now.
